Took job with start-up: too risky?

[Double J]

I had been searching for a job for 4 months before landing a job at a start-up two weeks ago.

 

Yesterday I received a call from an established company for a follow-up interview. I had interviewed with this company the week before I received an offer from the start-up.

 

I tried finding a way to make it to that interview, but my schedule (10-7) prevents me from doing so. I also thought twice about it because the job I got at this new start-up was via networking. One of the interviewers is close friends with someone I worked with at another start-up last year. (Both he, who was my supervisor, and I got laid off when the company downsized.) I used him as a reference, and I'm sure it made a huge impact in getting this job.

 

So there's my conundrum: if I were to leave the company, I feel I would burn bridges with the guy who served as my reference. Both the start-up I worked for last year, as well as this one, are in the same industry (travel), so I'm sort of building a network. I put my ex supervisor as a reference for the job at the big company, so if they were to call him, he might even try to sabotage me for making him look bad by quitting -- who knows.

 

My only concern, again, is that this is a start-up, so job security always lingers in my mind. As I said before, I know what it's like getting laid off from a start-up, so I'm a little paranoid. The founder already has quite a track record -- he started a company a few years back that went on to become a multi million dollar enterprise. But there's no telling what will become of this one. I heard that company was eventually bought out and due to redundancies some people lost their jobs.

 

This has been a tough decision. I really hope and pray I don't find myself searching for a job again in a few months.

[lavenderdove]

Big stable companies have lay offs too... so you can never really predict.

 

I'd choose the opportunity where you like the job the best, and you like the people the best, not based on whether it might or might not lay off people, which you have no way of predicting.

[ashtan37]

Hi

 

I am new here. Just joined here half an hour ago.

 

I am also in the midst of looking for job...

 

As far as whether to stay put or not, in my humble opinion, if I were you, I will stick to the present post. I worked for start up before and it turned out to be quite fruitful in terms of rewards and personal growth.

 

Try to think of of the positive sides of a new start up. e.g. you get the chance to expose yourself to the different aspects of business operations which I think you hardly had the opportunity in a more established company. Furthermore, you will be the pioneer if one day the company becomes established!

 

I fully agree with lavenderdove where certain things are really not under your control, in this case it's lay off.

 

Wish you good luck if you have decided to try out the other opportunity.